It's getting late, I can't sleep, I've had waaay too much Dr. Pepper; So, presenting chapter four .P
CHAPTER 4
Lili sat quietly in the waiting room. Her father was back in his office talking to the five agents who rescued Raz, Sasha, Ford, and Milla. It was well past midnight and a search party had been sent out to find Oleander. Lili hoped he hadn't been captured. There had been more than enough tragedy today already.
Her fears were soon put to rest when Oleander burst into the doors.
"Where are they?" He asked the nurse at the front desk.
"Sasha and Raz are in surgery. Milla and Ford are still being treated." Lili said. Oleander turned to face her. He hadn't seen her when he entered. He walked over and sat down next to her. He buried his face in his hands.
"Oh, God. I should never have left. I should have been there! I should have been there to help them fight!" Oleander growled.
"It wasn't your fault, coach. You had no idea that they would be attacked. No one anticipated a group of terrorists attacking a summer camp for young psychics, of all places." Lili said.
"Sweet lord, if they had attacked earlier this morning when the kids were still there..." Oleander said.
"At least then I would get a shot at the guy who used my boyfriend as a pincushion! Someone is going to burn for this!" Lili said, squeezing her hands into fists.
"Pincushion? Exactly what did they do to my son?" A new voice asked. Raz's father was standing in the doorway. Behind him stood four teenagers and five younger children.
"Mr. Aquato, I presume." Another voice said from behind them.
"My name is Agent Becca Windsor. I was on the squad that was sent out to assist Agents Nein, Vodello, Ford, and Aquato." Becca said. She shook hands with Mr. Aquato and turned to introduce the rest of her squad standing behind her.
"This is the rest of my squad. This young lady is Agent Natalie Cooper." Becca said, motioning to the blonde girl.
"Her cousin Agent Drew Stein." Becca said, motioning to the blonde boy.
"This is Agent Dane Barker." Becca said, motioning to the older male psychonaut. The last man chuckled when the smallest of Razputin's brothers and sisters shrank back behind their father at the sight of the large man.
"Don't let Dane scare you. He's really nice. He just looks scary. My name's Brett. Brett Anders." the man said, leaning down to get eye level with the little ones. He seemed to be a very nice guy.
"Greyson Aquato." Mr. Aquato said.
"These are my children oldest to youngest, Maria, Bryson, Elizabeth, Sage, Vera, Jennifer, Lyle, Joseph, and Benjamin." Mr. Aquato said.
"It's good to see you again, Lili, Mr. Oleander." Mr. Aquato said.
"Please, call me Morry." Morry said.
"Hey, Mr. Aquato. Hey guys." Lili said.
"Hi Lili." The two youngest children said shyly. They had met her before, but all these other people were new to them.
"Mr. Aquato, we have recovered footage from the security cameras at Whispering Rock that captured the whole incident. I can show it to you if you want, but I must warn you, it is very graphic. It would be very disturbing for your children to see." Becca said.
"If you'd like, I could take your children to the cafeteria and get them some hot coco and a snack." Brett offered.
"Thank you, Agent Anders. I would greatly appreciate it." Mr. Aquato said.
"Father, let me go with you." The oldest Aquato boy, Benjamin said. He had short auburn hair and brown eyes. He had a tall and muscular build.
"Me too, Father. I need to know what happened to my baby brother." Jennifer, one of the seventeen year old triplets said. Her long auburn hair was bulled back in a single braid and her brown-green eyes glittered with tears. She was tall and thin.
"We're old enough!" One of the other triplets, Lyle said. He had short auburn hair and green brown eyes. Freckles dusted across his cheeks and he had a lean, lanky build.
"We can handle it!" The last triplet, Joseph said. He looked just like Lyle, minus the freckles and had a slightly more muscled build.
"Alright, but don't think that you have to watch the whole thing. If you feel that you can't handle it, I want you to leave." Mr. Aquato said.
"I want to come to, father! I want to know who hurt my brother!" Sage said.
"No, Sage. I need you to stay with your brothers and sisters. You are too young. I don't want you seeing this." Mr Aquato said. Sage nodded grudgingly, tears forming in his eyes.
"I'm coming, and whoever wants to stop me will burn." Lili said menacingly.
"I'm coming too. I gotta know what happened." Morry said.
"Becca, I'm going with Brett. I don't want to see that again. I'll help look after the children." Natalie whispered to Becca.
"Okay. You're dismissed." Becca said.
"Maria, Bryson, Sage, Elizabeth, and Vera; I want you to go with Agent Anders and Agent Cooper. Behave and listen to him. We'll be back to get you in a little bit." Mr. Aquato said.
"We have quarters prepared for you and your children, Mr. Aquato. Brett, take them there if the little ones get tired. I'll escort you there once we are done." Becca said.
"Come with me, little ones. The galley has tones of good food. They have every kind of cookie, cake, ice cream and pie you can imagine." Brett said. He offered his hands to the little twins, Maria and Bryson. They took them hesitantly and Brett led them down the hall.
"Do they have brownies?" Bryson asked.
"They sure do." Brett said.
"Do they have sprinkles for the ice cream?" Maria asked.
"All different kinds." Brett responded.
"They're in good hands. Brett has eight sisters. He's great with kids." Becca said. "Now, if you'll follow me, I'll take you to a screening room."
They followed her for what seemed like hours through the winding hallways of Psychonauts Headquarters until at last she opened one of the many identical doors.
"You recovered the security tapes?" A voice asked from down the hall. Drew, Dane, Morry, and Becca saluted the tall man.
"Yes, sir, Agent Zanotto." Becca said.
"Very good. It's nice to see you again, Greyson. I just wish it weren't under such circumstances." Truman said, shaking hands with Mr. Aquato.
"Morry. I'm glad you're safe. But, enough small talk. We have more pressing matters to discuss." Truman said. He motioned for them all to enter the room. Each of them took a seat.
"Go ahead, Agent Windsor." Truman said. Becca sat at her laptop and hit a few keys.
"This was taken just outside the counselors's cabinsat 5:17 pm. Morry has left the premises. If you look closely, you can see movement in the trees." Becca said. The tape played and Sasha could be seen running past the windows. Raz was seen near the window, watching Sasha and Ford. Ford called him away from the windows. A few seconds later, a strong wind picked up and swirled in tighter and tighter circles around the house until it crushed the walls together into a ball.
The Aqauto's all gasped. Raz, Sasha, Milla, and Ford were lying on the ground, seemingly unconscious. After a few moments Sasha began to rise. He helped Ford up and after a few more minutes, they started blasting into the trees. The men ran out at them and after they had passed Raz and Milla, they jumped up and started attacking as well. They all ran out of view of the camera.
"They will all burn." Lili said under her breath.
"Obviously, the were playing dead and drawing their enemies out. They had some sort of plan, but something went wrong. The next time they come into view of the cameras, Sasha and Milla are headed toward the beach. This was recorded at 5:28 pm." Becca said. She brought up the camera from near the main lodge area that overlooked the walkway to the beach.
They saw Milla get hit and fall over the railing and Sasha rush to her aid. They all watched in marvel as the two took down a good number of their enemies in a perfectly timed dance. They found an opening and ran down the walkway. Sasha got hit with the dagger and went down. The men closed in on him and began beating him mercilessly. They saw Milla run at them and push the men back and carry Sasha across her shoulders and out of sight.
"Then I'll burn them some more, once for Milla, once for Sasha." Lili said.
"They show up next on the camera near the cave." Becca said. The clip began and Milla toppled into view as she and Sasha fell into the puddle. Sasha got up and began shooting, Milla pulled the dagger from her leg, and Sasha killed one of the men with it. The two of them ran into the cave and out of view. They did catch a glimps of all of the men being blasted backward out of the cave.
"He he he...you show em, Sasha! Get em Milla!" Lili said.
"There are glimpses of them on a few other cameras, but ultimately, they found Agent Cruller and Agent Aquato. This showed up on a camera near the Geodesic Psychoisolation Chambers at 5:19." Becca said.
The clip showed Raz and Ford struggling to hold their own against the men. They watched in horror as Raz was thrown into a tree and beaten senseless. Ford tried to help him, but he was overwhelmed as well. Jennifer started crying. Her brothers and father gathered around her. Mr. Aquato looked on in a dazed horror as the man restraining Raz jumped away from him with his boot smoking. Raz rose to his feet and burst into flame.
"Oh, my God! He's not suppose to burn!" Lili gasped.
"No..." Mr. Aquato whispered. They watched Raz take down a good number of the men, then came the sight of the sword flying through the air and sinking into Raz's back. Lili gasped in horror.
"I'm going to kill that guy so bad..." Lili said, shaking with rage.
"Oh, God..." Morry murmured. Jennifer started muttering something in a strange language and holding out a crucifix. The Aquatos bowed their heads and linked hands, all of them crying.
Sasha and Milla came onto the scene, both fighting with a ferocity unlike anyone had ever seen before. Ford was knocked unconscious and Milla and Sasha subdued. Morry was utterly horrified, yet transfixed at the screen as one of his long time friends was beaten and whipped mercilessly before his very eyes.
"He's gonna burn." Lili said.
"He's gonna burn." Morry agreed. They watched as the leader of the group walked over to Raz and pulled the sword from his back.
"He's gonna burn! He's gonna burn he'sgonnaburnhe'sgonnaburn! HE. WILL. BURN!" Lili chanted. The leader hit Milla and walked back over to Raz. He bent over the boy and cut away the bottom of his shirt.
"Father?" Benjamin asked. All four of the Aquato children were looking up at their father with worried expressions. Something about the man looking at Raz's back has disturbed them.
"Who the hell is he?" Mr. Aquato said.
"I dunno, but he's gonna burn." Dane said, motioning over to a very angry Lili and Morry. The man stood up, looking stunned, and then got blasted by Becca's team.
"We have no idea who these guys are, Mr. Aquato. All the bodies and traces of the bodies vanished. They all escaped." Drew said.
"Mr. Aquato. Something about that last part there doesn't sit well with you. Please tell me. It might help in our investigation." Truman said.
"I-I can't. It would just put my son in more danger!" Mr. Aquato said. He spoke to his children in a strange language. The children nodded, all looking alarmed.
"Please, Greyson! Think it over! What you have to say could be the closing factor in this case! We could find the men who hurt your son! Just think about it. I swear that nothing you say will ever leave headquarters." Truman said.
"I'll think about it. Right now, I just really need some time with my son." Mr. Aquato said.
"I understand. Shall we go see how he's doing?" Truman said. They all walked back to the medical ward together.
"Any development on Agent Razputin Aquato?" Truman asked the nurse at the front desk.
"Sir, he is out of surgery, sir. He is being monitored in the intensive care unit, sir. Room 501." The nurse said, saluting Truman.
"What about Agent Sasha Nein, Agent Milla Vodello, and Agent Ford Cruller?" Truman asked.
"Agent Ford Cruller is currently sleeping in room 208. Agent Milla Vodello is resting. She is in room 209, and Agent Sasha Nein is also out of surgery and is in intensive care, room 503, Sir." The nurse responded.
"May we go see them?" Truman asked.
"Yes sir. As long as they are not disturbed. Please come with me." The nurse said.
"Thank you." Truman said. The nurse led Truman, Lili, Morry, and the Aquato's down the halls to Fords room. The nurse opened the door quietly and peered in.
"Oh, no..." She hissed. She took out a transponder and flipped the switch.
"Attention all personnel, Agent Ford Cruller is not in his room. If you see him, please notify me immediately and have him return to the medical ward." The nurse said.
"He isn't there?" Lili asked, peaking into the room. Another voice sounded over the transponder.
"This is Agent Alex Hawking. Is there any sign of foul play?" The voice asked. The voice was definitely female.
"No, Agent Hawking. His room looks fine. I believe he just got up and wandered off. He took his psitanium pack with him." The nurse responded.
"I'll look for him." The voice said. The nurse sighed.
"Let's try Agent Vodello." She said. She opened the next door and backed away with an agitated growl. She moodily pulled out the transponder again and sent out another message.
"Attention all personnel, Agent Milla Vodello is also absent from her room. If you see her, please notify me immediately and have her return to the medical ward." The nurse said. She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to cool down her rising temper. A loud laugh sounded over the transponder. It was the same voice as before.
"Shut up, Alexandria." The nurse growled.
"It's ALEX. I hate it when people call me that!" The other voice said. (Authors Note: Yes, Alex, you know who you are. I named her after you! Plus, Alexandria is one of my favorite names!)
"Anyway, there's no need to get your undies in a bunch; I'll track them down. They're both missing, so there are only two places they could have gone. Meet me outside room 501." The voice said. The nurse sighed and motioned for the others to follow her. They went up two floors and through a set of doors that said "ICU".
Down the hall, a young woman was leaning against the wall casually with a playful smirk. She had shoulder length curly brown hair and mischievous blue-grey eyes. She wore a dark blue cap that had the words "Psychonauts Aviation Engineer" printed across it in yellow along with the aviation symbol. She wore a dark blue flight suit that was unzipped half way and the sleeves were tied around her waist to keep it from falling off. She wore a simple white t-shirt under it and a pair of black boots. She was noticeably taller than most women and appeared to be around 22.
"Foud 'em." She said simply, still smirking smugly, but more in a friendly teasing way than anything. The nurse cracked a slight smile.
"You sure do enjoy pushing my buttons, Alex." The nurse said. The woman nodded with a simple "Yep."
Alex saluted to Truman and the others and opened the door for them. Milla and Ford were sitting in chairs beside Raz's bed. Ford had one hand around Milla's shoulders, trying to comfort her.
"With you, I wasn't too surprised, Agent Cruller, but Agent Vodello? You two should be in bed. You had me worried sick when I found your beds empty." The nurse scolded gently. Milla and Ford turned around to face them.
"Yep, I'm not surprised that your not surprised." Ford said, winking at the nurse teasingly. The nurse sighed and shook her head at the older psychonaut's shamelessness.
"Oh, forgive me, darling. I know I was reckless, but I needed to see them." Milla said, smiling weakly. She looked very tired and her eyes were red from crying. She was clad in only a long pink hospital gown and a crutch sat next to her chair.
"Just please warn me next time before you wander off." the nurse said. She waved at the two of them and walked out of the room. Lili squeezed through the group in the doorway and scampered over to Milla.
"Milla, how do you feel? You scared the living hell outta me, collapsing like that!" Lili scolded, putting her hand on Milla's leg in a show of her own way of comforting the woman. Milla leaned over and petted Lili's hair.
"I'm sorry, sweetie." She said softly. She hugged Lili gently. Lili's eyes fell on the crowd in the doorway. The Aquato's were all standing rigid in the doorway, wide eyed with horror. Truman put a hand on Mr. Aquato's shoulder sadly. Morry approached hesitantly.
"Oh, god. The poor kid..." He whispered.
"Ford, Morry, Lili, come along, darlings. Let's give Razputin's family some time alone." Milla said softly. She ushered Lili, Ford, and Morry out of the room, leaning on her crutch. Truman stepped aside so that the Aquato's could enter the room. Mr. Aquato slowly, disbelievingly stepped toward the child lying on the bed.
The boy was covered with a warm blanket. His right arm was bandaged and a needle connected to a series of tubes and fluid bags was in his thin wrist. There was a bandage over his right eye and an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth. The boy was deathly pale and barely breathing. If not for the steady beep of the heart monitor, he would have looked dead.
Mr. Aquato dropped to his knees beside the bed and carefully took Raz's cold hand into his own shaking ones. He bowed his head and a soft sob escaped him. Jennifer stood beside her father and hesitantly reached out her shaking hand to stroke her brother's pale cheek. Joseph knelt next to his father, putting an arm around him comfortingly, all the while, silent tears slipped down his cheeks. Benjamin stood behind his father, his hands squeezed into fists trembling with rage. Angry tears shone in his eyes. Lyle stood on the other side of the bed, letting his hand rest on Raz's forehead. He bowed his head and started murmuring something in a strange language. The rest of the Aquatos bowed their heads as well and joined in the chant, all of them touching.
Truman closed the door quietly.
"Let's leave them alone for a while." Truman said. A doctor was walking down the hall with a clipboard in hand. He stopped and saluted to Truman.
"I take it Agent Aquato has visitors?" The doctor said. He was young. He had short red hair and a pair of slim, silver rimmed glasses. He appeared to be a bit shy, though his grey-green eyes gave off the impression of a kind and sympathetic man.
"Yes. His family is with him." Truman said.
"Will he recover?" Milla asked. The doctor frowned.
"I don't know, Agent Vodello. He lost a lot of blood and sustained significant damage to several vital organs. The odds right now are not in his favor. All we can do is wait and hope he stabilizes. Even so, he may never be able to see out of his right eye again." The doctor said. Ford hung his head and Milla gripped her crutch hard. Truman had to shake Lili after she began staring intensely at the ground, unconsciously causing it to smoke dangerously.
"A-and...Agent Nein?" Milla asked barely above a whisper. The doctor rubbed the back of his neck nervously, not meeting Milla's gaze.
"He is not doing well either, I'm sorry to say. He has a lot of blood loss as well, and there was a lot of damage to his lungs. I...I...um, well...I don't know how to tell you this, but...um..." The doctor stammered. He took a deep, shaky breath and finally met Milla's eyes. A look a deep sympathy and compassion shone in his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Agent Vodello, but even if he does survive his injuries, Agent Nein will never be capable of being a psychonaut again." The doctor said.
--
DUN DUN DUNNNN! (Hey, I WARNED you I had too much soda!)
Oh, yeah! Hey you guys! I took off my anonymous reviewer thingy, so now you non-registered types can leave a review too! I know you're out there, my stats are showing 85 hits! PLEEEASE review? (Makes a puppy face)
Pwease? Every review you send earns my crazy little pet parrot a widdle kiss on da head! (He honestly and truly believes me to be his mother because I hand raised him from a chick with no feathers! It's pretty cute P)
He WOVES kisses! You wouldn't want him to get less than the 30 kisses I give him every day now, would you? (Seriously, he' so used to it he even makes the kissy noise and pecks my lip. He gives me birdie kisses all the time!)
HE'S ONLY ONE YEARS OWLD! PLEASE! DO IT FOR JITTERBUG! (Yes, his name is Jitterbug because he loves to dance and he jitters on for hours and hours talking about nothing, but it's just so cute!)
Ta!
